Health and Nutrition in Current EU Food Law: A Systematic Review

M. El Gemayel*, H. Schebesta

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This research explores the capacity in which the EU's food legal framework covers nutrition and health aspects. Recent policy actions in the European Union (EU) focus on nutrition-related health, given the rising trend of unhealthy dietary patterns in the European region.
However, setting relevant health and nutrition policy objectives is complex when the legislative framework for these objectives is not clearly defined. To explore this topic, we systematically reviewed EU food law and extracted all indicators for health and nutrition. We then studied the indicators' relationships to one another and their role in legislation. Key findings suggest selective frameworks for health and nutrition.
Health is mainly addressed through food safety, and nutrition is addressed though an objective approach to information to consumers and compositional requirements. Despite these selective frameworks, we found that food law has the potential to define and develop a nutrition and health nexus that targets both ends of the food chain: production and consumption. This starts with the alignment of health and nutrition objectives in legislation and policy. Keywords: European Union, food law, health, nutrition, legislation, policy
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)119-135
JournalEuropean Food and Feed Law Review
Volume19
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jul 2024

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